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Tundra Ecosystem
is an often flat, treeless plain largely covered with mosses and lichens, having a marshy soil with a permanently frozen sub-soil, found in Arctic and subarctic regions.

It is Earth's coldest harshest biomes. Tundra ecosystems are treeless regions found in the Arctic and on the tops of mountains, where the climate is cold and windy and rainfall is scant. Tundra lands are snow-covered for much of the year, until summer brings a burst of wildflowers.

Arctic
The Arctic tundra, where the average temperature is 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-12 to -6 degrees Celsius), supports a variety of animal species, including Arctic foxes, polar bears, gray wolves, caribou, snow geese and musk-oxen. The summer growing season is just 50 to 60 days, when the sun shines 24 hours a day.

The few plants and animals that live in the harsh conditions of the tundra are essentially clinging to life. They are highly vulnerable to environmental stresses like reduced snow cover and warmer temperatures brought on by global warming.

Winter in the Arctic tundra is long, dark, and very cold with temperatures as low as -70°C (-94°F) at times. However, during the short summer growing season, temperatures climb above freezing, thawing the top layer of the frozen soil - the permafrost - for a few weeks. The ground becomes saturated with the water that had been frozen all winter in the permafrost. The water forms ponds and marshes that pepper the barren landscape during the short summer. With water and milder temperatures, the Arctic tundra becomes full of life each summer. here are no trees in the Arctic tundra; however, there are many different species of plants including small shrubs, grasses and sedges, mosses, and flowers. There are also many types of lichens. The plants that can survive in this extreme climate have adaptations that protect them from cold temperatures, such as grouping together and staying short. They can photosynthesize at low temperatures and low light intensities. Some plants even have fine hairs along their stems that keep them warm.

Many animals, like caribou, insects and many birds, migrate into the Arctic tundra from lower latitudes during the Arctic summer. Other animals, such as the Arctic hare, musk ox, and ptarmigan, have adaptations that allow them to survive the fierce conditions of the Arctic tundra year-round. Adaptations to the Arctic tundra include thick fur or feathers for warmth

Antarctic
Antarctic tundra occurs on Antarctica and on several Antarctic and subantarctic islands. The Antarctic Tundra is found in the South Polar areas of the Earth. This area is quite cold and does not support vegetation. It is always covered with ice fields.

However, at the fringes of the Antarctic Peninsula, there are areas of rocky soil which do support vegetation. One can find about 300 varieties of lichens, 700 varieties of aquatic algae, and about 100 varieties of mosses. There are not many large sized mammals found in the Antarctic Tundra. This area is the home of species such as the Penguins and Seals.

Alpine
Alpine tundra is that area of the earth's surface which does not support any vegetation due to its high altitudes. This can happen anywhere on the surface of the earth. This area also can contain permafrost soils. The Alpine Tundra is not a biome that traverses large expanses of terrain like other biomes. This biome is not restricted to certain latitudes. It is not determined by temperature or rainfall gradations either. Instead, this biome can be found at any latitude on earth. Its only dependent on elevation.

The tallest lifezone, the alpine tundra can be found at any latitude on earth. yet, the elevation that the alpine tundra begins is different depending on where you are.

The alpine tundra is not a homogenous zone where plants have equal opportunity to grow. Small changes in elevation in this zone and patches of snow and rock create microhabitats where different species of plant and animal can specialize. For instance, a small depression on the ground might decrease sun and wind intensity causing snow to accumulate. Snowbanks are hard places for plants to grow because areas where snow builds up decreases the already short growing season. Thus, small elevation changes that increase light intensity may be just enough for small plants to make a living.

More Facts about Tundra
the Arctic Tundra is a vast reservoir of oil and uranium. Due to this many countries are exploring for oil in these regions. This can severely damage the delicate balance of the tundra ecosystem.

Another threat is that about a third of the world's soil bound carbon is found in these regions. So when the permafrost melts in the summers, this carbon gets released into the atmosphere, adding to the 'Greenhouse Effect'. Since carbon is a greenhouse gas, this adds into the threat of Global Warming, which again forms a vicious cycle by causing more of the permafrost to melt each year.

Over a period of time, this could radically alter the lives of the living species of animals, but also flora and fauna, and subsequently the lives of all the people on the surface of the earth.

Many scientists and researchers are therefore spending a lot of time and effort into trying to analyze and reduce this growing threat to the tundra ecosystem.